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3.89 AVERAGE
3.89 AVERAGE
adventurous
emotional
funny
inspiring
lighthearted
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
A mix
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
medium-paced
emotional
funny
reflective
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Complicated
This book apparently knows my entire family because there was always a part of a chapter that I could see happening/being said in my house. Sometimes it got a little too close to home and I had to put it down. It was great seeing magic realism is a contemporary text.
mysterious
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Complicated
Loveable characters:
No
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
N/A
challenging
emotional
funny
hopeful
reflective
slow-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Complicated
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes
This started slow and got better, characters were really annoying but as you got further along motives were learned and characters grew.
My Mother Cursed My Name follows the Olivares women, whose destinies are shaped by their names. After Angustias leaves her mother Olvido’s home as a teenager, Felicitas meets her estranged grandmother—now a ghost. Before moving on, Olvido has unresolved business.
Reyes creates relatable, stubborn characters with humor and depth. The plot is slow to start but engaging, exploring generational resentment and healing. Though serious, the story balances dark moments with lightheartedness.
With strong themes of grief, faith, and family, the novel delves into the complex mother-daughter bond and the power of forgiveness. A beautiful debut, inspired by Reyes’ own family. Overall, a charming read. 3.5/5 stars.
Reyes creates relatable, stubborn characters with humor and depth. The plot is slow to start but engaging, exploring generational resentment and healing. Though serious, the story balances dark moments with lightheartedness.
With strong themes of grief, faith, and family, the novel delves into the complex mother-daughter bond and the power of forgiveness. A beautiful debut, inspired by Reyes’ own family. Overall, a charming read. 3.5/5 stars.
emotional
hopeful
reflective
medium-paced
My Mother Cursed My Name is a quiet, magical take on generational trauma, following three women - grandmother, mother, and daughter - trying (and mostly failing) to untangle their complicated shared history. There’s a lot I liked in theory: the subtle but unique magical realism, the focus on the lives and struggles of Hispanic women, the weight of inheritance, the exploration of consequences.
But as fun as the premise sounded, the execution left me wanting... something I can't quite put my finger on. Fewer characters? More tension? Deeper stakes? I’m not sure. For a story so focused on these women and their inner lives, it felt just a little too shallow. The magic is charming, the themes are familiar, and the writing is pleasant enough, but by the end, I was mostly left wishing for a little more bite.
emotional
funny
sad
medium-paced
Plot or Character Driven:
Character
Strong character development:
Yes
Loveable characters:
Yes
Diverse cast of characters:
Yes
Flaws of characters a main focus:
Yes